WITH LOVE CREATIONS

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Paper Lanterns

Want a cute, simple decoration that you can make in minutes? These paper lanterns are perfect for the upcoming holiday season or as an everyday decoration! What a great way to add color to a room or to your holiday table :) Make a bunch and string them together as a garland, or put a bunch in a bowl, or in a hurricane glass in a bathroom or guestroom. You could also mail them (flat, before unfolding them ;)) to a friend as a fun "Merry Christmas" gift with quick instructions on how to unfold them.

I decided to use holiday paper, but was thinking these would also be fun as everyday decorations with leftover scraps of scrapbooking paper or found/vintage paper.

What you'll need:
- Paper - enough to cut 15 strips - ½"x4" (7.5"x4")
- 2 small brads
- Ruler, 1/16" hole punch or pushpin to poke holes, exacto blade or
rotary cutter and a cutting mat

1. Measure out and cut your paper into 15 strips - each strip ½"x4"

2. Punch holes 1/8" from edge on short edge on both ends of paper strips. I used a 1/16" hole punch, but a push pin can be used to poke holes - it might take a little longer to get the brad through.

3. Put a brad in each end of your punched paper strip stack.

(Back)

4. Starting with the strip on the bottom, twist it out to begin to unfold the paper lantern. It might look kind of wonky, but it will get better :)

5. Twist out each strip individually in order from bottom to top of paper strip stack.

6. Arrange to your liking and Voila! A paper lantern ornament!

These would make a great garland - I strung a few together and they looked fabulous!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Satin Hair Accessories

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Such a fun and vibrant accessory.

Many color combos are at your fingertips.

And how can you resist all those layers of petals... Nice and full and perfectly sweet.

Ready to make your own?

First, begin by cutting about 6 circles of satin material for each flower. (I just found the cheapest satin I could.....only a few $'s a yard, and it worked great. The satin just needs to be able to melt with fire, rather than burn.) The blue flower is bigger and the largest circle is about 3 inches in diameter. The largest green circle is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

I made each circle gradually smaller, making sure they fit on top of the circle just larger than it, and didn't worry one bit about making it a perfect circle. The uneven-ness of each circle will add to the beauty of the flower. Promise.

Then I used a lighter and slightly melted the edges of each flower, This also caused the edges to curl up a bit.

Then, one at a time, I hot glued each circle to the one below it, until I had my layered flower.

Then I placed a rather full blob of hot glue in the center of the flower.......

then dumped a pile of these little filler beads right on top. (You know, the same ones I used for filling up the "I-spy" bags here.) You could use real beads or skip the hot glue and sew on beads to the center. But I just had these filler beads and thought they were the perfect shape. And I have had the pink flowered headband (shown above) for a while, which has been tossed and smashed and in the bottom of my purse........and the little beads are still holding strong.

And that was it. The centers for the flowers are done.

Monday, April 25, 2011

After Easter Layered Salad

Ingredients:

Servings:

1 (10 ounce) bag mixed salad greens
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
8 baby dill pickles, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
1 small red onion, chopped
3/4 cup peppercorn ranch dressing (Kraft brand or your fave ranch dressing) Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

1 Place greens in bottom of large salad bowl.
2 Layer tomatoes, pickles, eggs, ham and onion over greens in bowl.
3 Spread dressing evenly over top of salad.

This just sounded yummy!!

Chicken Strawberry Spinach Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

2 teaspoons corn oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons milk

2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed

4 fresh strawberries, sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons slivered almonds

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet, season with garlic powder and cook 10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Set aside.

2.In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, lime juice, ginger and milk.

3.Arrange spinach on serving dishes. Top with chicken and strawberries, sprinkle with almonds and drizzle with dressing. Season with pepper to serve.